Saturday, November 8, 2008

Carmalized Butternut Squash

So a few of my really good friends and I decided to do a bi-monthly "ingredient challenge." Basically, twice a month we will decide on an ingredient and do something fun with it to see what happens. I'm really looking forward to this. It's just sad that distance won't let us taste each other's creating - we have a chef in NYC, Chicago, and then me in NC. I think the project will be tons of fun and I'm hoping to get a lot of new recipes out of it. Not to mention have a fantastic time adding some variety into my regular cooking routines.

The Challenge: Butternut Squash

The recipe: Carmalized Butternut Squash

2 medium butternut squash (4-5 lbs total)

6-8 Tbsp butter - melted and cooled

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400*F. Cut off the ends of each butternut squash and discard. Peel the squash andcut in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, remove the seeds. Cut the squash into 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" cubes (large and uniform is best), and put them in a large bowl. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, salt, and pepper in the bowl. With clean hands toss all of the ingredients together and spred out in a single layer on a baking sheet or in a baking dish. Roast for 45-55 minutes until the squash is tender and the glaze begins to carmalize. Turn the squash while roasting a fe times witha spatula to be sure it browns evenly. Serve hot (makes 6 servings).

The Result: Well. Um. I didn't care too much for it. Not only did I fail to get the glaze to carmalize, I just didn't care for the salt and pepper with my squash. I think I'd rather have it with just the butter and sugar. Maybe all mashed up instead of roasted.

The Reviews: Mom - liked it, but thought there was too much pepper. Dad - isn't a big fan of squash, but ate it all. Husband - tried it, hated it. but he's not a big fan of squash either.

So, I manged to bomb the first recipe challenge. Oh well. Tomorrow I will try out a recipe I found for butternut squash cake roll and see if I can redeem myself!